The female characters I love the most in fiction are a mix of the very fiesty, the very cunning or smart, and the very brave. I grew up devouring books whenever I could, and in books I found dozens of amazing female characters that felt not only like role models but like friends. I grew up admiring them and wanting to emulate them, and obviously, this all had a lot to do with how they acted and, most important, what they said. Here are some of my favorite characters in fiction ever and the quotes that made me fall in love with them. (In no particular order!)

Scarlett O’Hara

I LOVE Scarlett O’Hara despite all of her immense faults because in the face of adversity, Scarlett does anything but give up. She is constantly fighting to keep her family together, keep her house, and stay alive.

“I’ll think of it tomorrow, at Tara. I can stand it then. Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.”

Elizabeth Bennet

Like this:

Emma might be my favorite (well actually, third favorite) Jane Austen novel. I think this novel goes farthest in criticizing its main character, much farther than Northanger Abbey ever went. Emma Woodhouse is undeniably a good person, but man, is she ridiculous sometimes. I love Emma because unlike Elizabeth, she doesn’t pride herself on her intelligence or her discernment; rather, she throws herself wholly into the shallow world of High Society and owns it. Or, at least, she’d like to think she does.

So much of this novel’s narrative voice is sarcastic toward Emma. It seems like Austen is criticizing her secretly from the very first line, and it’s almost impossible for me to read this book without chuckling once every minute. I would argue that Emma is Austen’s only female anti-heroine, Catherine Morland being too naive to count. I feel like with Emma, Austen is exploring the possibility of a nicer version of Lydia Bennet, and almost apologizing for her scathing portrayal of young, flighty women of High Society. They’re not all terrible, she seems to say. Emma means well. She’s spoiled, arrogant and sort of a pretender/social climber, but she’s kind. At least she tries to be.

She’s Cher Horowitz, literally. I just can’t help but love her. So here are my favorite spoken-by Emma quotes from Austen’s much-loved novel:

These quotes more than anything exhibit Emma’s belief that she is always right and that her insight and advice is indispensable to those “less fortunate” than herself:

“You will be an old maid! and that’s so dreadful!” [Harriet]

“Never mind, Harriet, I shall not be a poor old maid; and it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable old maid! the proper sport of boys and girls, but a single woman, of good fortune, is always respectable, and may be as sensible and pleasant as any body else.”

On the man who loves Harriet, the not-so-wealthy Robert Martin:

“I have no doubt that he will thrive and be a very rich man in time–and his being illiterate and coarse need not disturb us.”

Sometimes she accidentally stumbles upon profound truth, as in the case where she defends Frank Churchill:

“It is very unfair to judge of any body’s conduct, without an intimate knowledge of their situation. Nobody, who has not been in the interior of a family, can say what the difficulties of any individual of that family may be.”

And in the case of men always expecting to be well-received after proposing marriage (Elizabeth Bennet would sympathize):

“Oh! to be sure,” cried Emma, “it is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to be ready for anybody who asks her.”

But the best Emma quotes are the narrator’s descriptions of her! These are the ones that truly elucidate how deluded Emma can be, however good her intentions are:

“She had always wanted to do everything, and had made more progress, both in drawing and music, than many might have done with so little labour as she would ever submit to. She played and sang — and drew in almost every style; but steadiness had always been wanting; and in nothing had she approached the degree of excellence which she would have been glad to command and ought not to have failed of. She was not much deceived as to her own skill either as an artist or a musician, but she was not unwilling to have others deceived, or sorry to know her reputation for accomplishment often higher than it deserved.”

This quote in particular shows such sympathy for Emma’s failures and shortcomings, and allows her much room to be flawed and human. Which one of us has not wanted to appear smarter or more talented than we are? All praise Emma Woodhouse! (Or better yet, Jane Austen herself!)

So what do you think of Emma? Who’s your favorite Austen girl (or boy!)?

This post is exactly what it sounds like: My top five choices for a shopping companion, literary edition. Welcome to my wildest fantasies.

I know a lot of people have a list of historical figures that they’d love to have lunch with; for example, I would love to chat with Jane Austen, Genghis Khan, Queen Elizabeth I, Shah Jahan and Anne Boleyn over a glass of Malbec or two. But I would also love to meet some entirely fictional people. More, I would love to go shopping with them.

Shopping with someone is a unique bonding experience, and choosing the right companion marks the difference between a new, glitzy, flattering wardrobe achieved spectacularly on budget, and leaving the strip mall empty-handed and with the mean reds. You need someone who will offer sound advice: honest, but tactful. The ideal companion must be patient and funny, frugal yet spontaneous, and will never tell you that the dress you’re wearing makes you look fat. Without further ado, here are my top five picks for a fictional shopping companion, in no particular order:

Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

One of my lifelong dreams is to go shopping with Miss Holiday Golightly, Traveling. Holly is an excellent shopping companion because she’s perpetually on-budget. She also understands the therapeutic power of a well-stocked jewelry store like no other. Shopping with Holly, with her sparkling personality and irresistibly skewed logic, can never get boring. Also, Holly will most likely shoplift something amazing for you, or she may surprise you and buy it outright, saving it for a gift later. Just remember to repay her with something illegal, or better yet, something sparkly from Tiffany’s.

Spoken by Holly: “I don’t want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together.”

Lily Bart, The House of Mirth

Lily Bart will take you around to all the best stores. Be prepared to put on your highest knockoff Louboutins and walk daintily through Chanel and Saks, eyeing merchandise askance and making salespeople show you their best wares. She’ll buy you a cafe au lait and a macaron from a French cafe on Fifth and gently remind you to never buy anything on a whim. Lily takes her time with purchases and is accustomed to a certain standard of living. She never settles for anything less than perfect luxury. Hopefully she buys you something, because you can’t afford that sh*t. Lily Bart will also nurture you and make sure you look like a million New York bucks.

Spoken by Lily: “Don’t you ever mind not being rich enough to buy all the books you want?” Yes. Yes I do mind, Lily.

Rebecca Sharp, Vanity Fair

Becky Sharp understands the power of a truly eye-catching wardrobe. Okay, so you may spend all your money on garish finery and end up homeless, but shopping with Becky Sharp is worth the risk. She has a unique and provocative fashion sense, and will challenge you to try on clothes you’d never have given a second glance. She won’t lie to you to pretend something looks good, but she may lie to you about the price. Be prepared for her blunt honesty but also for her venomous instinct for self-preservation. If you pick up something she wants, give it to her. It probably looks better on her anyway.

Spoken by Becky: “Revenge may be wicked, but it’s natural.”

Emma Woodhouse, Emma

Shopping with Emma may test your patience, but the girl does have taste. She’ll tell you what to buy and why to buy it, but when her back is turned, you can return it to the shelf without her noticing. But if her choices do strike your fancy, you’ll know you’re leaving with clothes that will undoubtedly cement your social standing. And if you’re vacillating between buying a dress and not, she’ll just rip out of your hands and leave the store, taking your dignity with her. But then she’ll treat you to a Jamba Juice and a fresh helping of the latest gossip.

Spoken by Emma: “A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter.”

Sugar, The Crimson Petal and the White

I would just faint dead away if given the opportunity to shop with the protagonist of my favorite novel. Sugar is a self-sufficient, intelligent young prostitute in Victorian London, taking every opportunity to improve her lot in life. Shopping with Sugar means making informed choices about what you need rather than what you want. Luckily for you, what you need is a brand-new bespoke wardrobe in order to convince high society that you belong. While you shop you can discuss the latest literary effort by Mr. Charles Dickens, and debate the finer points of wealth disparity in England. Shopping with Sugar is also an economic experience, given that her rich lover William Rackham will be footing the bill. You’ll leave with plenty of beribboned boots and your savings intact.

Spoken by Sugar: “Put a black dress on, take a deep breath, puff your cheeks out and they’ll mistake you for the Queen.” Wise Sugar, extolling the undying power of the LBD.

Who I would NOT want to shop with:

Emma Bovary, Madame Bovary

I would literally drain my savings account if I went shopping with Madame. Or worse, tumble headfirst into a chasm of debt, and I really don’t fancy arsenic.

Bella Swan, Twilight

Woefully devoid of fashion sense, I feel like Bella wouldn’t be the ideal shopping companion. Maybe I’d take her sister Alice along for a second opinion, or stash a head of garlic for protection.